WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS We discovered that there are two keys to good browning when roasting carrots: butter and oven position. Melting the butter first helps coat the carrots evenly before they go onto the baking
sheet. The butter itself helps brown the vegetables while also keeping them from sticking. Roasting the buttered carrots lower in the oven also helps promote browning. The closer the heat source is to the baking sheet, the better the browning. The resulting carrots are tender, sweet, and almost caramel-like on the roasted sides. To spice up this simple preparation, we served our carrots with an intense, spicy green chermoula and plenty of toasted pine nuts. Choose carrots that are about 1½ inches in diameter at the thicker end. If your carrots are smaller, leave them whole; if they’re larger, extend the roasting time slightly.
Serves 4
Total time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
CARROTS
- 1½ pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 4 large shallots, peeled and halved through root end
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons toasted and coarsely chopped pine nuts
CHERMOULA
- ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
CARROTS
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Toss 1½ pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise, 4 large shallots peeled and halved through root end, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl to coat.
- Spread carrot-shallot mixture in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast until tender and cut sides are well browned, 15 to 25 minutes.
- Season with salt to taste and transfer carrots and shallots to serving platter. Drizzle with chermoula and sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve.
CHERMOULA
- In a food processor, process ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 stemmed, seeded and minced serrano chile, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper until finely chopped for about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- With processor running, slowly add ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil until incorporated.
- Transfer chermoula to a small bowl. Drizzle over roasted carrots and shallots and sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve.
